Birgitta the Nun

Part 57 - Gold Fever

Madeleine ran all the way - up some stairs, down several corridors, and past a great deal of empty rooms - to the safe part of the monastery and her private quarters. She threw herself on her bed and pulled out the map. As she studied it, she felt her expectations rising. The stupid drawing had something about it, something she couldn't put her finger on, but had to find out. The tale of the treasure lurked at the back of her mind. Would it adhere? Nonsense—Madeleine whisked away her silly ideas. She wouldn't go that far in her beliefs. But still—wasn't it worth a try? A presumable wealth of the stone walls might actually save the monastery.

Madeleine knew it contradicted everything - a monastery shouldn't need nor possess wealth - but times were changing and there stood a real crisis before her. She left her quarters, choosing her direction wisely, and headed for the southernmost salon of the monastery. She armed herself with a skewer from the fireplace, and some fine looking rope, released from a pair of heavy curtains. A hood would have suited the occasion, she admitted to herself, to pull over her face and give herself a lurking opportunity. But who were she to hide from, really? Her fellow sisters kept out of the way, minding their own business. And Pristine—well, there was no hiding from Pristine. She would recognize Madeleine from miles away - even if she dressed like a monk. No disguise would fool that nun.

The fat X on the map - marked by a pink crayon - indicated a place in the hallways somewhere between the northern and the eastern parts of the monastery. Madeleine threw the rope around her neck and set off in the appropriate direction. She held the skewer with a firm grip in front of her chest, as if warding off some already approaching danger.

"Who needs to go on a trip to find adventure?" she thought to herself. "This massive stone building offers excitement to go all-around." But then a sort of shame came over her. She knew her excitement was wrong and misplaced. A nun had no business in adventures. Still—the prospect of beating her antagonist - the ambitious Pristine - made her feel real motivation.

Madeleine passed the grand salon of the north. She saw the brick wall of the wizard's choice - still bearing marks from the beating - and couldn't help but snicker. It lay far away from the real goal, way ahead of the X-marking of the map. She marveled at the stupidity of the wizard. Yes, she even shook her head and rolled her eyes. But soon she checked herself. Again the shame came over her, "Is this what adventure does to the character? Does it make me put myself above others, and think I'm so clever? Perhaps—" she shrugged. Without further contemplation, she continued along the twining hallways further east.

She took note of the portraits, hanging in neat little rows along the walls. They really were a bit monotonous, humph—Madeleine had to agree with the wizard on that matter. Smiles didn't belong in a convent, indeed they didn't, but still—was it so inappropriate to distinguish a few honorable characters? Yes, it probably was. Madeleine realized she had a long way to go to fit in.

Something caught her attention and she came to a halt. To her right, a peculiarity tried to elude her gaze. How curious—Madeleine turned to face the wall. A portrait met her stare, a portrait just like any portrait. Or not. At first glance it appeared nothing special, but then—details started to emerge. A cat skulked in the corner of the picture, just above the frame. No other portrait included a cat. Also, the nun depicted offered something just a tad less serious. Her eyes flinched. She looked like she knew something, indeed, something almost worth smiling about. But only almost. Indeed, the painting did stand out.

Madeleine traced the frame with her fingers and decided to take it down. She took care, and placed the painting against the opposite wall, then turned to stare at the new wall-area opened up before her. Did not the spot hold something peculiar? Did not the wall look a tiny bit extraordinary?

Madeleine took out the map and made some calculations. She was sure she had reached the X - the fabulous pink X marked by the abbess - but still she hesitated. Maybe she shouldn't have been so eager to get started? An additional day might have been wise to spend studying the map, to make sure—after all, it was no genius creating this map, but the whims of a silly old abbess, grown screwy in the head from too much literature and too little fresh air.

But Madeleine could not restrain herself. She lifted the skewer, raised it over her head, and brought it down against the wall.

A terrible clang spread throughout the monastery. Madeleine froze. Lord—she really had gone mad. This was actual gold-fever.

But once more she aimed her weapon - and the skewer met the wall. This time she created a clash worth comparing to thunder. A crack appeared in the wall and the terror-stricken nun put her weapon down. She wiped some cold sweat from her brow, and took a deep breath. She didn't need long to recover. Her hands met the wall and the tips of her fingers searched along the crevice. Between two bricks she could wrest part of the concrete away, and she pried open a small hole in the wall. Then, with the help of the skewer, she removed her first brick. The rest came easily.

With ever increasing effectiveness she continued to throw bricks and concrete over her shoulders. She no longer used the skewer, but only her hands, and her fingers turned gray and red from the dirty work. Not until the hole in the wall was large enough for her to enter, did she stop. And the last brick of her choice went down.